Café Du Monde

This is a photograph of a server at Café Du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana.  All servers at the cafe wear this uniform, including the thin paper army side cap with the name Cafe Du Monde printed in green ink.[1] The obvious purpose of these hats is to help you identify who works at the cafe, but their shape, reminiscent of a previous era[2], encourages the feeling of nostalgia people are seeking when they come to Café Du Monde to try their food.

This image is meant to capture how the details of an appearance can change the mood of an environment. The uniform of the waiters at Café Du Monde establishes this location as a place that has a history--this is the uniform servers have always worn.  So not only does it have a history, is it a place that has remained the same over the number of years. People travel to the café to experience a piece of New Orleans from years long ago. By surrounding its patrons with various images of nostalgia, the Cafe has successfully created an environment where the old New Orleans still exists.

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[1] Nostalgia is a commodity available for purchase.

[2] The side cap is used by various divisions of the armed forces.